Quite recently, a blog went up on FANGORIA taking a handful of legendary horror directors to task for essentially riding the waves of their legacy and failing to continuously and contemporarily put out excellent work. No doubt, it’s an interesting theory worth debating and investigating. However, in my eyes, its author made one fatal mistake (and no, it wasn’t that confrontational opening line—although that was slightly devoid of taste). Nick sought to claim that Wes Craven neither is, nor ever was, great. I’m under the belief that no matter how you feel about many of his films, that’s simply a falsehood. So with seven weeks until the filmmaker’s latest, MY SOUL TO TAKE, hits theaters, I’ve decided to look at one of his movies a week (excluding the landmarks like LAST HOUSE, NIGHTMARE and SCREAM) to showcase that even during misfires and his lesser praised works, Craven displays talent, chops and incredible imagination (see last week's entry). Read on for week two: my examination of his made-for-television CHILLER.
In writer Nick Masercola's 
Yesterday, another casting announcement (actor Nico Tortorella) and character breakdowns were released for next spring’s return to Woodsboro. I thought with that relevant news I’d finally give a voice to the brainwaves that tell me, against my better judgment in a horror climate rampant with terrible studio output, I’m unabashedly excited for SCREAM 4.
Horror’s universal themes and ability to gnaw at at least one of everyone’s fears make it an incredibly wide-reaching and affecting genre that often spills over into the interests and influences of other artists, including those not directly related to the business of the macabre. Unsurprisingly, one such avenue terror often extends into is music, and band members who may play, sing and scream by day, but revel in splatter at night.
I strongly dislike having to watch “party scenes” in films. Also, my brother once told me he hates seeing other people have fun. And to a degree, I think we all do. When you’re banging on a downstairs neighbors’ door, yelling for him (her) and his (her) stoner (skanky) friends to keep their party to a low roar, it’s not that it’s keeping you up. You can’t sleep because really, you long to be downstairs shotgunning a beer too, but you weren’t invited. And there are very few party scenes in movies that have made me feel like I was invited.
[Note: This, an older entry of my blog, Terrifyingly Gnarly, was posted a good while ago on the previous Fango site. From time to time, I'm going to re-up some of my favorite pieces along with the new ones. Hope you enjoy this revisiting this enhanced version (more videos and pictures) of my interview with Ace Norton.]